Jack
by ImaginaryMe
Summary: A bloody gruesome murder haunts the memories of young Jack, who later rediscovers more about his past... and meets people "like him".
1. In the Beginning

_A small child peeked out from inside the dark cupboard. He didn't dare open the small gap any more, fearful of the stranger wandering in his home. His mother and father were still in the living room…_

_ "Save me mommy," the boy whispered to himself. _

_ To his relief, his parents walked into the kitchen. "Jack?" the mother asked, scanning the room. "Jack, where are you?" the father said, then turned to his wife. "Honey, I think something's wrong."_

_ His eyes widened._

_ "Mary, DUCK!" he shouted, pushing her aside, a silver knife jabbed into his chest. Red liquid oozed out of the wound. The mother backed up towards the sink. "Anthony…?" she stared in horror at the now lifeless body. Then she looked up to face the killer. The murderer pulled out the weapon, resulting in the blood gushing out even more. _

_ The young boy, now paralyzed with fear, scooted further to the back of the cupboard. "Daddy…?" he whispered in a shaky voice. He leaned forward once more to witness the death of his mother. The murderer was smiling. _

_ "No, no, no…" the little boy whimpered, then backed up even more. He examined his surroundings, hoping for something to defend himself with. His eyes landed on a kitchen knife. _

_ "_Never EVER touch this, okay? It's sharp and can hurt people very, very badly_." was the words of his mother, who is now dead. The boy was shaking, his hands grasping it. A memory ran through his head, a memory that wasn't his._

A man stood in the shadows, his bloodshot eyes targeting another man. He held up a shining knife, its blade glimmering wickedly in the dark. In mere seconds, the victim was dead.

_When the boy came to his senses, the intruder was dead, killed swiftly in one stroke… the work of a professional. _

_ Police were baffled by this case. They were particularly stumped by how the organs of the murderer were so carefully preserved and taken out, lined in alphabetical order: something a 6 year old boy shouldn't know how to do… _


	2. Awaken

"Jack! Move yer butt and get ovah here!" Andrew, Jack's best friend (who has a strange hobby of trying out new ways to "speak") exclaimed. The now fifteen year old boy scrambled to his feet and sprinted over.

"What?" Jack asked, trying to locate whatever Andrew was pointing at. His friend squinted his eyes, "Ovah there. See?"

Jack tiptoed to look over the brick wall. Being five foot eight, it was easy for him to peer over the top. Andrew, who was just a tad bit bigger, guided Jack's eyes towards an abandoned construction site. His eyes sparkled with entertainment.

"Let's play a game."

"Um, Andrew?" Jack said, "I don't think this is a good idea."

The two boys were now exploring the interior of the building. It was supposed to become a grand skyscraper, but due to the lack of funds, the project was scrapped. Now, it's just an empty building a few stories tall.

"Andrew?" Jack repeated, his voice unsure.

"Aye?"

"Like I said, I don't think this is a good ideaaaa…" his voice trailed off.

"Meh. Don't worry 'bout it. It's not like we're going to get in trouble for a lil' exploration now, are we?" his friend mumbled, climbing over a pile of rubble to access the next floor. However, there was a door blocking their way, and it was locked.

Jack let out a small sigh of relief. "Okay, see? No more reason to go on any further now, right?" Jack turned around to face his friend. "Righ-?"

Andrew took out a large Swiss Army Knife. He chuckled mischievously and glanced at his bewildered friend. "H-How did you? Wha- c'mon! Let's just go back!" Jack huffed, ruffling his abnormally silver-ish hair which concealed his right eye.

"This'll… come.. in… HANDY!" Andrew grunted as he successfully pried the lock open. His friend then sat down for a short, but "well deserved" break. Jack sighed, shaking his head. His ears then detected movement from upstairs. Jack was immediately on full alert.

"Andrew, there's someone upstairs," Jack whispered, trembling.

"Aw, come ON Jack. I'm not gonna fall for that, dude." his friend said loudly, rolling his eyes.

"You're doing that on purpose, right?" he hissed.

"No, what the heck?"

The two were now whispering.

"There is SOMEONE UPSTAIRS!"

"Yeah right!"

"I'm serious!" Jack said angrily, then turned around. "You know what? I'm going home. YOU stay here since you're asking for so much trouble." He began to walk back downstairs.

"Oh come ON JACK! Loosen up! You're always so uptight and everythi-"

His friend's words were cut short. "Yeah, right. I'm not uptight!" Jack growled and turned to face Andrew. He stopped.

A man in a blue hoodie was behind his friend. The tip of a knife was sticking out of his friend's ribcage. Andrew fell forward, and blood leaked out.

"ANDREW!" Jack yelled, lunging forward but stopped short in his tracks.

The murderer was smiling. He was laughing. He looked like he was having fun.

Jack's mind was filled with rage.

"How dare you…"

The murderer look up to him. And his smile became wider.

"HOW DARE YOU…"

Jack took a step forward.

"YOU DIRTY BASTARD! YOU KILLED HIM!" he screeched and lunged forward, grabbing Andrew's Swiss Army Knife. His hands were shaking as he held it in front of him, facing the killer.

"One on one, boy? You should know that I'm more skilled than you!" The man laughed, shaking the bloodied knife to dry it. He nodded towards the corpse. "One stab from behind, and he ain't so tough anymore now, isn't he?"

_Andrew… Andrew's gone…_ Jack thought, his eyes widening. "You killed him, huh?" Jack whispered. He looked at the small dagger in his hands and compared it to the weapon his enemy has.

_Am I going to die like that too? _Jack thought.

_Never EVER touch this, okay? It's sharp and can hurt people very, very badly._

_ …_

_ …Mom._

_I don't know what happened next. I just… I just remembered my mom. Her smile, her laugh. My mom…_

_ But wait. Who's that? It's another woman. She's dressed in rags. She's filthy._

_ I… I hate her. I hate people like her. _

_ I hate those people wandering around the streets. Who feel sorry for themselves. FIGHT. FIGHT! FIGHT FATE! FIGHT OBSTACLES! FIGHT!_

_ I heard another voice. And in that one moment that we shouted together, I wasn't quite sane anymore._

The murderer smiled at Jack's pause. _An opening!_ he thought. _I'll finish this quick so that the boy doesn't tell anyone!_

He lunged forward, but the boy dodged swiftly.

"Wha-?"

A blade cut across his throat, and he instantly died.

Valentine jumped onto another building. She sensed it nearby. She was sure of it. This bloodlust…

"…I knew it." she murmured, tying her long, delicate blond hair into a ponytail.

She bared her fangs and growled.

"Ripper."


End file.
